A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to massage furniture. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chair with two interchangeable modes of operation between an ergonomic seat and a massaging platform.
B. Discussion of Related Art
Chairs are structured to support human body in motion or at rest comfortably and their detailed designs are classified to fit various seating environments like an office for work, an automobile for travel or a lounge. On top of the ordinary seating functions, chairs began to employ electric massaging devices in and around the seat backs and/or bottoms of the chairs to revitalize men and women from long hours of hard work. Such devices may be installed inside the chair structure or separately retrofitted thereto. Internal massage units may have a frame for movably supporting massage rollers or nodes powered by motors through a transmission mechanism under a programmed control to perform a kneading massage, acupressure or rolling massage on the posterior side of the occupant. One of the practical massage chair structures is found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,629,939 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. An exemplary portable body massager is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,128,721 the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
To deliver the effective massage pressures, the massaging interface of the massage unit is normally lightly padded or simply visually blocked. Normally the massaging interface presses against the occupant's body areas of spine, lumbar, buttocks and pelvic bones by his or her weight. Before and after the relatively short massaging sessions the chair also needs to provide a good cushioning function via a certain amount of upholstery. A user may solve the problem by adding a small pillow or by draping a towel over the massaging interface of the chair massager or portable massager so that the user may change the surface of the seating area every time the chair switches between the massaging mode and the supporting mode. This is awkward though.
Finally, users have a need for a chair that can look like an ordinary office chair when not being used for massage. If user uses a massage chair such as those seen in the prior art as an everyday office chair, it may be inappropriate in certain social situations such as conferences or meetings.
It is therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a set of integrated cushion members to convert the massage unit interface of the massage chair from a massager mode to a seating mode and vice versa without using unsightly or unbalancing accessories to the chair.
Another object of the invention is to provide two distinctive chair modes of bodily support and therapeutic massager based on a single compact chair.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a simple chair conversion means for reconditioning the chair cushion between its seating mode and massager mode whether the massager is an onboard type or portable device mounted on the chair.